


The Crown's Last Head

by Avilianne



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, M/M, minor original characters, nobility au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-09-19 09:27:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9432764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avilianne/pseuds/Avilianne
Summary: All the newspapers, news stations and radios were reporting the same thing. What once was a rumor a few years ago was now confirmed.The Imperial Court was to be reinstated.~Viktor slowly came to realization, he felt his stomach drop. He turned to his grandmother, hoping that she would deny his suspicions. Alas, a bitter mask adorned her face. Annais shook her head and forced a watery smile.Viktor slowly shook his head. No. No. No. NO.His father looked at him, a look of pity in his eyes. “Which means, you schatje, are the official heir.”





	1. A Crown Exists

**Author's Note:**

> So... I hope this isn't insulting in any way?  
> I would like to point out that this is fictional, which means that my use of historical characters are different from their real life counterparts. 
> 
> Also this is set directly after the YOI storyline. Also Homophobia doesn't exist here cuz YOI universe and cuz I want it not to.

There was loud chattering in the street. The announcement released the by the government definitely caused an uproar. 

‘Reinstate the Imperial Court?!’

‘Will the Romanovs return?’ 

‘Hopefully there won’t be a repeat of the revolution’

All the newspapers, news stations and radios were reporting the same thing. What once was a rumor a few years ago was now confirmed. 

The Imperial Court was to be reinstated. 

Their missing monarchs were to return. There would be a new Tsar, though with only limited influence. The government’s decision was heavily aided by the fact that there was proof that the direct Romanov line survived. The safe house in Yekaterinburg had documents about one of the princesses giving birth to a son. According to historians, when the Tsar’s family was assassinated, the Tsar’s youngest child was the only boy to be executed. Additionally, there wasn’t a body found. And when the former Empress Dowager returned to Denmark, a new Grand Duke was named. The Grand Duke’s parental lineage was unknown, the Empress Dowager only stating that the child was her great-grandson.

The Russians sent an invitation for the return of any Russian aristocrat and a letter of appeal to the Danish court for a sample of the child’s DNA in order to determine whether the child was directly linked to the former Tsar’s family. The Danish court replied with affirmation to the appeal, and a notice that they have forwarded the invitation to the late Grand Duke’s family. 

Having received a DNA sample from the Danes, the Russians confirmed that, yes, the mystery child and the Empress Dowager’s great-grandson was one in the same. 

With this information, the government decided that the Imperial Russian Court will be reinstated. 

~o~

Viktor was lounging on the couch, Makkachin right by his legs. It was a cold day. Yuuri was still asleep, jetlag still in effect. 

He thought about it all. His life was practically perfect. He loved what he did and had someone to share it with. He had a nice apartment. His beloved poodle was with him. What more could he ask for? 

At that thought, the bedroom door swung open. Yuuri stood there rubbing at his eyes in a n adorable manner, wearing one of Viktor’s sweaters. The sight melted his heart. Indeed, what more could he ask for? 

Yuuri yawned, squinting his eyes slightly. “Viktor, what time is it?” 

Viktor smiled and opened his arms, beckoning Yuuri to come closer. As soon as he had Yuuri wrapped in his arms, he proceeded to nuzzle Yuuri’s neck, inhaling his scent. “Just 9 am. We don’t have training today so feel free to sleep in.” Makkachin settled comfortably on Yuuri’s back, trapping him between them. 

Yuuri started to doze off, he was too comfortable. Viktor and Makkachin’s warmth combined made him very sleepy. Just as he was about to nod off, the house phone rang, startling him awake and knocking Makkachin off the couch. 

Viktor sighted. “I’ll get it. Makkachin keep Yuuri warm for me, K?” With that, he stood up, letting his dear fiancé lay completely on the couch. The phone kept ringing, piercing the comfortable silence. He picked it up, effectively cutting off the sound.

“Hello?” 

A familiar voice greeted him, sounding quite expectant. “Viktor! It’s Mama. Why didn’t you tell me you were engaged?” As always, straight to the point.

Viktor felt like he was in trouble. His mother always did intimidate him when she got into one of her moods. “Uhm… We were planning on telling you once we settled in?” He was sweating. How did she find out? He didn’t want to tell her yet.

He heard a sight. “You know that we’ll always support you, right?” He could hear the disappointment in her voice. He felt guilty now. 

She was silent for a minute before speaking again. “Nevermind. Your father is here, he’s staying for a while. Bring your fiancé to dinner. I want to meet him.” As an afterthought she added “Bring Yurochka and Yakov too.” 

His father? He felt like he should’ve expected this. She must’ve told him. His mother was quite the tyrant. She had her ways to easily find information while his father was the worrywart. Well, he was a bit at fault, he didn’t really tell them anything and just flew to Japan. Plus the kiss in China and the PDA was quite the hint. He just didn’t expect the information to spread so fast. Someone must’ve told her. It was probably Yuri, that damn brat. 

Well, couldn’t exactly tell her no. Plus he was planning on introducing Yuuri to them soon, so why not.

“Ah, when? We’re free for a few weeks, the season just ended.” He shifted his feet, looking back at his snoozing fiancé. Makkachin has re-settled himself on his back. It was such a cute scene, he smiled softly. He wanted to take a picture.

“Come in a few days. You said you’re off season, da? That means you can stay for at least a week. Maman* misses you.” He felt a bit bubbly at the mention of his grandmother. It has been a while, he misses her too.

He smiled, earlier feelings of dread disappearing. His grandmother always did ease him up. “Yup! We’ll be there.” A mini vacation, huh? Well, Yuuri is in for a surprise. 

Her tone shifted. Kinder, softer. “We’ll wait. We miss you Vitya. I’ll see you soon." 

No matter how strict and prim his mother was, she was still a softy. He smiled. “I miss you too. We’ll see you soon. Bye” 

“Goodbye”

She must’ve hanged up. Now to tell Yuuri!

~o~

When Yuuri woke up to the smell of something amazing. He smiled to himself. You could hear soft singing in the background. Viktor was probably making a late breakfast. 

He heard shifting, then someone was shaking his shoulder. “Yuuri? Are you awake? I made food” The promise of food was too tempting, making him sit up. He gave a small yawn. He opened his bleary eyes to Viktor’s smiling face. In that moment, he felt like he was the luckiest man in the world. 

“Food? What’d you make?” He was curious. Russian food was sometimes confusing.

Viktor made him stand up and led him to the table. “I made Blini, Kasha and some buterbrody*” A tradition breakfast? It looked good. And Viktor made it. So it must be good, his foggy brain concluded.

He was right. It’s delicious! As he continued to savor the food, Viktor sat right next to him, eating his own portion. 

Viktor glanced at him and asked, “Yuuri, do you want to eat dinner with my family in a few days?” Well that was sudden. 

His fork was halfway to his mouth. “Huh?” He blinked. What?

Viktor faced him. “Do you want to meet my family?” 

Yuuri blushed. “Meet your family?” Of course he would be honored, but his brain was currently messing him up.  
Viktor looked worried. “Are you okay? You don’t have to force yourself if you don’t want to.” He furrowed his brows. Yuuri looked really red. 

He did! He wanted to meet the people who raised this wonderful person. So he nodded. “I want to meet them.” He gave a nervous smile. “I’m sure they would be wonderful.” 

Viktor looked elated. “Really? You’ll want to meet them?” He nodded. Viktor gave him his wonderful heart shaped smile. 

“You’ll love them! I promise! My mother is quite intimidating but she’s actually really nice. And then there’s my Maman, she’s really nice! Yurio already met them, you can ask him. And Yakov too! They’re coming with us, by the way. And theres my father …..” 

As Viktor continued to ramble, Yuuri couldn’t help but smile. Viktor really must love his family. Filled with determination, he decided that he’ll make a good impression. If not for his sake, then for Viktor’s. 

He just hopes his anxiety won’t get the better of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that I didn't accidentally insult anyone with this fic.  
> Btw this fic was inspire by this article :
> 
> http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/586470/Russia-royal-family-Vladimir-Putin-reinstate-Tsar-Nicholas-Second-Romanov
> 
> Maman – French for Mom, Mother. Viktor’s mother is referring to her mother, Viktor’s grandmother.
> 
> Blini, Kasha and Buterbrody – parts of a traditional Russian breakfast. Blini is a very thin pancake. Kasha is a type of porridge made from any kind of grains boiled in water or milk. Buterbrody are open-faced sandwiches made with different types of sausages, cheeses, smoked fish.
> 
> Link to Viktor’s apartment- https://www.behance.net/gallery/17932521/Scandinavian-apartment-in-Murmansk-(march-2014)


	2. The Crownsmiths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arrival and Introductions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuri will be called Yurio in dialogue/thought. But in narration, he will be referred to as Yuri.
> 
> I want to state clearly that this is a weird Nobility-Canon-Divergence-thing AU. And I apologize for the grammar and spelling mistakes, English isn’t my mother language no matter how much I use it. I mix up my languages a lot. I do not speak Russian nor Dutch. Please refer to the notes below and after the chapter, please do read.  
> • Dedushka- Grandfather; Russian  
> • Babushka- Grandmother; Russian  
> • Schatje- Little treasure; Dutch  
> • Дорогой- (Dorogoy) Dear; Russian

According to Viktor, his family moved back to their original home in Yekaterinburg a few years ago. He told Yuuri a lot of things. Like how he only spent nine years of his life in Yekaterinburg before they moved. And how culturally diverse his family is*. They chatted amiably on the plane. Luckily, Aeroflot didn’t disappoint them this time and the flight was quite short.

As soon as they stepped off the plane and claimed Makkachin’s carrier, they were greeted by Viktor’s old tutor*. He introduced himself as Lukas and led them to a car. As soon as the chauffeur* started the engine, Lukas stated that Yakov and Yuri arrived in an earlier flight. 

The drive to Viktor’s childhood home was quite nice. The scenery was wonderful, summer running just around the edge. As they reached the neighborhood, Yuuri noticed that he couldn’t really see the houses*, it was mostly gates lining the streets and that the spacing per gate was quite big. The gates looked very old yet grand. They reminded him of those castles he had to study back in college. 

As he was staring out the window, Viktor spoke. “Most of the houses here are over hundreds of years old. They said that some nobles had properties here before the revolution.” As Viktor mentioned this piece of information, Yuuri was awed and a bit scared. What if Viktor’s family didn’t like him? He was, after all, just a kid from the countryside. With this thought, he started chewing on his lip and imagining scenarios where everything went wrong. 

He felt Viktor’s hand wrap around his. Keeping his eyes forward, he said “Don’t worry. They’ll love you. You’re an amazing person Yuuri, never doubt that.” Viktor squeezed his hand. The words were spoken with such kindness and warmth that the dread he felt started to subside a bit. Viktor really does have that effect on him, huh?

“Ah, we’re here.” He was snapped out of his thoughts by Viktor’s voice. The gates in front of them were huge, like the others they passed by, they looked very grand. Though these ones had an insignia on them. The insignia was quite peculiar. There was a lion and an eagle facing back to back. By the time he finished observing the insignia, the gates swung open. 

As they drove inside, Yuuri observed the trees as he petted Makkachin. They were huge, blocking almost everything in their path. Luckily the driveway was pretty bare and easy to move in, aside from the ridiculous curves and crossroads. Why were there so many crossroads?

Viktor, as if reading his mind, cheerfully stated “They were made to keep intruders out.” Intruders? “Like I said, most of the houses here are over hundreds of years old. Ours is actually one of the younger ones. But when it was made, my Dedushka decided to make it so because of his job.” His job? Yuuri grew curios. Viktor never mentioned anything about his family before. He was happy. Viktor trusted him enough to tell him these things. While Viktor stared at the road, Yuuri, in an act of boldness, gave his cheek a kiss. Viktor turned to him and seeing his flushed face, gave a happy giggle. 

They soon stopped in front of a imposing structure. And his jaw proceeded to drop. The said structure looked like it came out of a fairytale with it’s tall pillars and pearl white walls. The structure had draw gates and the insignia above said gates. As he was observing, he looked back and noticed that they were pretty high up. He could see the the tops of the other ‘houses’. The gates rose and the car entered. 

The car stopped in front of what one would call a castle, but Viktor just casually said “Home, sweet home.” Viktor stepped out of the car while he was admiring the house and helped him up. Makkachin soon followed, sprinting towards the door. 

As he exited the car, they were met with a beautiful platinum haired woman. Viktor’s sister? She looked like it. Before his thought could wander far, the woman stepped closer and took hold of his forearms. She looked into his eyes and stared. Looking at them, he felt like he was tossed in an icy pit and left to drown. Those eyes that were identical to Viktor’s ,were at the same time so different. 

A hand came down on his shoulders, shocking him. “Mama, please don’t scare Yuuri.” What. Mama? He blinked slowly, confused. He slowly looked towards Viktor. And then back at the woman. As he observed the woman’s features, he felt a blush creep up his neck. 

Sputtering, he made a move to apologize. He looked down. “I-I’m so sorry! I thought you were Viktor’s sister!” He felt so embarrassed. He looked up slightly, and saw a small smirk on her face. Her eyes were still icy, but not enough to kill.

She chuckled, patting him on the head gently. “Viktor, dear, your fiancé is quite the flatterer.” She looked amused. She let one hand drop to her side and extended the other, expecting a handshake. “My name is Dagmara. I am Viktor’s mother.” 

Quite embarrassed that he forgot to introduce himself, he bowed. “Ah- I’m Yuuri Katsuki. Pleased to meet you!” He saw that she was still waiting for a handshake, embarrassed again, he quickly grabbed it and gave a firm shake. 

He turned to Viktor. He looked happy. The sight made his heart melt a bit. Viktor’s smiles always made his heart pound, in a good way. The visions of horrible introductions slowly receding from his mind. 

“Come. Let us go inside. Would you prefer tea or coffee?” Dagmara turned around and led them through the front door, Makkachin tailing them. The receiving area was beautiful. White marble and blue accents covered the walls and floor. They ascended the stairs and went through a corridor on the left.

They passed a few doors before stopping in front of a set of white double doors. Like the gate, the doors had the lion and eagle insignia. Yuuri noticed that the insignia had a few words under it. He recognized them as Viktor’s surname in Cyrillic. Nikiforov. 

As they entered, he first saw Yuri talking to Yakov and Lilia. Then he saw a fairly young man with blond hair sitting by the window and an older woman behind a wooden desk. He decided against assuming who they were should he make another embarrassing mistake. Makkachin decided to get comfortable on the fluffy rug. 

The blond man stood up, smiling goofily at them. Ah, he knows that smile. Viktor smiles like that a lot. The man moves towards them, a skip in his step. Viktor looks stiff. 

The man crushes Viktor in a hug, possibly cutting off his air supply. “Viktor! Schatje!* it’s been so long!” The man looks so excited. Viktor looks like he’s about to pass out. He would’ve found it funny that Viktor Nikiforov, the living legend, would look nervous if he weren’t feeling nervous himself. 

Luckily before that happened, Dagmara interrupted. “Дорогой*, he’s turning blue. And your manners? Wouldn’t you like to introduce yourself to your future son-in-law.” The man, confused, turned to him before breaking out into a gigantic grin. 

He stepped forward, cautiously. “Uhm.. I’m Yuuri Katsuki. Pleased to meet y-!” He was cut off when the man suddenly hugged him, released him and took his hand and started shaking it excitedly in less than a heartbeat. 

“Hallo! I’m Viktor’s father, Larke D’Auxy.” The man gave him another blinding smile. So that’s where Viktor got it from. Wait. D’Auxy? Before he could ponder why the man’s surname is different, he spoke again. “Don’t be so stiff! Call me Papa.” 

As he was about to answer, the older woman stood up, looked at them and gave a soft smile. “Larke, don’t scare the poor kid.” She moved her eyes to him. “Hello dear. My name is Annais Nikiforova, I’m Viktor’s grandmother.” Grandmother? She looked so young. Heck, everyone in Viktor’s family looks so young. She had white hair, from age, he couldn’t tell. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of gray. Her eyes were kind and her face had a sweetness to it that made him want to confess all his sins and beg for forgiveness. 

“Viten’ka told us a lot about you.” Viktor told his family about him? “I presume that you already know them?” She inclined her head at the trio, catching their attention. Yuri looked back at them, raising an eyebrow, while Lilia and Yakov continued to chat. Yuuri smiled and nodded. 

“You look tired.” Annais mused, smiling lightly. “Dinner isn’t in a few hours so feel free to rest. You would be sharing a room, yes?” 

Viktor took this opportunity to butt-in the discussion. “Yup! We will. Is my old room clean?” He turned towards his parents.

Dagmara replied, “Da. Someone will bring up your luggage soon.” She paused, teasingly she added, “You still remember how to get there?” Yuuri saw a smirk form on her face while Viktor pouted and flushed like a little child. 

“Mama. It’s only been 2 years. I’m not that forgetful.” Yuri rolled his eyes in the background while Yakov coughed into his hand. In response, Viktor huffed. Viktor turned to Yuuri and asked “I’m not that forgetful. Right?” His dear fiancé would surely defend him. 

Yuuri wanted to tease his fiancé a bit. Revenge for all those other times, per se. “I don’t know, Viktor. You did forget to buy milk, even when I reminded you a LOT of times.” Call it petty, but he always liked seeing Viktor pout. And pout he did. 

Larke laughed, patting Yuuri’s shoulder. “You’ve got it rough, huh. Bear with our schatje, m’dear. He’s a bit of a scatterbrain.” Dagmara raised a dainty eyebrow and made a comment. “Guess he got that from you, dear.” 

Both men looked affronted. Viktor still in a pout and his father looked like he was denied candy. 

Resigned to his family’s teasing, Viktor gave an adorable puff. Like a baby panda, Yuuri’s mind supplied. Annais shook her head softly, amused by their antics. “Now, now. Viten’ka and Yuuri still need to rest.” 

Viktor nodded and took Yuuri’s hand in his. “We’ll see you later.” 

~O~

Viktor was serious when he said he still remembers where his room is. Their house, or as Viktor calked it, their villa*, was ‘quite’ big. And by quite big, it was technically a castle*. The villa was at least five times the size of Ice Castle Hasestsu. And that Viktor’s old room was in the end of the hallway. In another floor. On the other side. Past numerous hallways. That are practically mazes. 

The journey to Viktor’s room was quite fun. He pointed out a lot of the furnishings of the house and gave little stories about them. The chandelier by the main door was a gift from his grandfather’s great-grandmother. The vase near the second staircase was a gift from his paternal grandmother. The candelabras on the walls were from his grandmother’s old house. He gave a lot of stories and Yuuri was enchanted by each one. 

When they reached the floor Viktor’s room was in, he noticed that the theme was different. Whereas the hallways they passed, aside from the receiving area, had light gray walls and dark wooden floors with barely any windows, this floor was bright. There were white arches and skylights* on the ceiling. And unlike the other hallways, this one was short and only had one door at the end of it.

“Dedushka wanted me to have it.” Yuuri looked up at Viktor, confused. “This was originally the master’s bedroom. He said that he wanted me to grow up knowing my roots. And that this room was reminiscent of when he still lived with his great-grandmother.” Viktor explained. 

Yuuri felt honored. Viktor trusted him enough to show him all this. His family history. Something that his grandfather entrusted to him. As Viktor held his hand, they came to a stop by the double doors. Yuuri held his breath as Viktor grabbed the doorknob and pushed open the doors. 

Yuuri let out a gasp. The room was beautiful. It wasn’t too gaudy but at the same time still intricate. The space reminded him of their bedroom back in St. Petersburg. The room had creamy light gray walls and a darker shade of gray and bits of black as accents. There was a floor to ceiling window on the left corner and a marvelous grand piano by it. The bed was in the center and there were various sofas around the room. His room back in Japan was probably the just size of the entryway!

Beside him, Viktor looked at peace. “They kept everything as I left it, huh.” Viktor turned to him, and asked “Do you want a bath? There’s tub here. It’s no hot spring but it’s nice.” Yuuri pondered for a moment before nodding. His muscles were kinda sore from the flight and he kinda smelled. A soak sounded nice.

Viktor opened the door to the left of the entryway. As Yuuri followed him, again, the bath reminded him of their apartment’s bath. Though the accents were in blue instead of green. The tub was massive and took up an entire corner. There was a table and chair, which quite weirded him out. Who would need a table and chair in a bathroom? Beside that was a hamper and a small wooden rack. He rounded a corner and saw that the toilet and shower. 

Viktor gave him instructions on how to run the bath and where to find the soaps. When the tub was finally full and mixed with soap, he climbed in. The water soothed his stiff muscles.

His thoughts started to wander as he sunk into the tub. Viktor’s family was amazing. They practically popped out of a fairytale. The kind grandmother and beautiful queen. The handsome king and the dashing prince. He wondered where he’d fit in that. The picture was too beautiful for him to taint. His worries started rising. Where would he, a country bumpkin, fit in. To 'fit in', what a scary thought. He didn’t have a big house nor a fancy tutor. He knew that Viktor doesn’t really care about those, but his brain just couldn’t help it. Scenarios where Viktor would leave, reject and shun him arose. 

He hugged his knees as he felt tremors shake him. As his mind started to delve into darker thoughts, he heard a knock. Viktor’s voice shook him out of his trance. “Yuuri! Are you okay? You’ve been in there for an hour.” An hour? He turned his palms up and saw that his skin was already pruning. Hurriedly, he replied “Oh. I’ll be out soon!" 

He stepped out of the tub and reached for the fluffy towel draped on the chair. His thoughts were still running wild in his head but hopefully they were for naught. He loved Viktor and Viktor loved him. He hoped that was enough. 

He dressed and opened the door of the bath. There was music playing. Was that Yuri On Ice? He looked around saw Viktor playing the piano. And yet again, Viktor surprises him. Despite his earlier breakdown, he felt himself relax and smile. Viktor really has that effect on him, huh. The song was reaching it’s peak and in his head, he can see his free skate. He can imagine himself jump and spin. He could almost hear the scrape of his blades on the ice. Ah, here comes the quad flip. He landed it! Or at least in his mind, he did. The song ended and he took his pose. 

There Viktor was, smiling. He had his hands placed on top of the keys, unmoving. Yuuri praised and slowly strode towards him. “That was amazing, Viktor!” He stopped next to him and sat on the bench when Viktor patted the space beside him. Curiously, he asked “How long have you been playing?” 

Viktor looked thoughtful, answering softly. “I learned to play way before I learned how to skate.” Viktor started to play a few keys in a soft melody. Agape? “It’s kinda a tradition. Mama and Papa know how to play. Babushka knows how to play the violin and Dedushka used to play both.” The melody he was playing transitioned into a full song. His hands were flying across the ivory keys. He played with such fervor and skill one could would almost think he was a professional if it weren’t for the few missed notes. Viktor would scrunch up his nose cutely whenever that happened. Yuuri thought that even with the missed notes, he was amazing. 

When he finished the song, Yuuri saw a flash of Yurio’s performance. Viktor turned to him and gave him a surprise hug. He felt Viktor nuzzle his cheek. “Playing always made me a bit giddy.” Viktor looked up at Yuuti and took his hand, giving his ring a kiss. “I remember starting Stammi Vicino here.” Yuuri lifted an eyebrow. Viktor wrote that? 

Viktor laughed lightly, reading his expression. “I only started the melody and made the story.” Viktor scratched his cheek and continued, “You can’t really expect me to write everything. I mean sure, I made the basic melody and story I wanted to express but I got a professional to make the lyrics and music.” 

Again, Yuuri felt amazed. What couldn’t this man do? Aside from remembering groceries, of course. “I bet you would’ve made an equally amazing piece if you've made it yourself.” Yuuri couldn’t stop smiling. If someone told him that Viktor Nikiforov (Shouldn’t it be D’Auxy?) would become his betrothed and blush from his compliments, he would probably deny such a thing and then cry later on since someone was probably making fun of him. 

Yuuri’s smile was contagious and Viktor couldn’t help but grin along. “Wanna watch a movie? I think they stocked my fridge with ice cream.” Ice cream sounded great. Soon they sat in front of the T.V., watching some random Disney movie while sharing a tub of chocolate goodness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this ridiculous story. Thanks for the kind comments and kudos'. 
> 
> And thanks to the guy who pointed out that this is like a Princess Diaries AU.i just realized it kinda is, but will be darker, more historically accurate and Gay. G-a-y. With a capital G. 
> 
> Notes:
> 
> 1\. I stated that Viktor’s family is culturally diverse as I learned the Imperial Russian family was made up of multiple cultures. So I’m sticking with that and inserting a LOT of different nationalities. One could easily find out their nationalities based off their names.
> 
> 2\. Again, they are from a long line of nobles so living in a castle like structure shouldn’t be surprising. I based their neighborhood off my provincial one. The gates are so far from each other and a lot of the houses are old af. I’m not saying that I live in a castle, Viktor’s house is like mine on steroids. And I partly based the exterior off Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria. The interior is a personal design, I’ll post them in tumblr soon.
> 
> 3\. Please remember that Viktor is from a noble family. He was raised with aristocratic standards. Which means tutors and a mastery of multiple musical instruments and languages is common. And in addition, Viktor has high expectations piled on his shoulders so education and skill is really important.


	3. Molten Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Larke looked at his son directly in the eye. He said “Furthermore, your grandfather, my father-in-law, was the former Tsar’s grandchild.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the late upload. Life sucks. This chapter is short and vague, please forgive me.  
> • Shatje – Little Treasure; Dutch

They were on their third movie when a knock on the door interrupted them, shaking them out of their conversation. Viktor snapped his head to the door’s direction, fixed his posture and called out “Come in, it’s open.” 

Lukas opened the door tentatively, peeking his head in. “Viktor? Dinner starts in a few minutes.” Once Viktor gave an affirmative, Lukas smiled and left. 

Viktor turned to Yuuri, grabbed his hands and pulled him up. “Up! Up! Mama cooks a mean shashlik*.” Viktor started. “It’s like a shish kebab but with bread and pickles.” 

The silver-haired man sighted, “It’s been a long time since I ate here.” A small smile tugged at his lips “Nothing like home cooked food, right?” 

The look he gave Yuuri broke his heart. If he heard correctly, Viktor hasn’t seen his parents in 2 years. His heart ached, it reminded him of his time in Detroit. He knew what it felt like to miss his family. He squeezed Viktor’s hand. ‘I’m here and I’ll stay.’ 

The squeeze he got back was firm. ‘I know.’

They exited the room hand-in-hand, light chatter flowing between them. 

~O~

By the time they entered the dining room, everyone was already there and the table was being set. At the head of the table, Viktor’s Grandmother smiled at them and pointed them to their seats. “The food will arrive soon.” She looked up at Yuuri and gave him a mischievous wink. “So, did our Viten’ka treat you well? Any spicy things to share?” Leaning her head on her wrist, she released a sly smile. 

Yuuri felt like his face could fry an uncooked egg. He didn’t expect that from Viktor’s grandmother. “I … Uh… Uhm…” She looked so sweet and innocent. Well, they did say to not judge a bood by it’s cover. 

Annais just waved her hand dismissively. “Come on now dear. Don’t look so scandalized! It was just a joke.” She turned to the unnaturally quiet Viktor and asked “And you, Vitya? Anything interesting?” 

Viktor nodded happily. “We actually got engaged in Barcelona!” He turned to Yuri “Yurio was one of the first few people who found out.” 

Yuri scoffed “I thought they were already married.” He leaned more unto his chair, probably wanting to raise his feet up. “They acted like it.” He shrugged his shoulders and snickered. 

Viktor turned back to his grandmother. “It was totally unexpected too!”. At this point, Yuuri observed that Viktor was just happily blabbering about their short time in Barcelona. 

 

While Viktor was retelling their misadventures, the food came in. The scent was divine! He could see trays of wonderful smelling food coming in. 

“Mama, you made the shashlik, right?” Viktor asked his mother, hopeful. He really misses his mother’s cooking.

Dagmara nodded and replied. “Of course. I just told them to serve it with the rest of the meal.” She used a family recipe passed from her father, she can’t just let anyone use it. 

Viktor nodded, happy. He turned to Yuuri and exclaimed “Trust me! They’re delicious!” 

Dinner officially began after the meals were laid on the table. Chatter flowed in the light air. Food was eaten and drinks were sipped. 

~O~

Satisfied, Yuuri patted his mouth with a napkin. Viktor wasn’t kidding when he said his mother’s cooking was delicious. 

Beside Dagmara, Larke stood up and tapped his glass with a knife. He glanced around, checking if he had everyone’s attention. Once he was satisfied that all eyes were on him, he said “I would like to propose a toast to my dear son, Viktor, and his beloved fiancé, Yuuri.” He paused and inclined his head towards them, a radiant smile on his face. Raising his glass, he continued. “May you have a long and prosperous life ahead of you. And we hope that your future marriage be filled with happiness.” 

All around the table, the occupants raised their glasses and exclaimed jubilantly.

“Cheers!” 

Viktor turned to Yuuri and gave him a sweet smile, expressing his love. He raised his glass and clinked it with Yuuri’s own. “A toast to us.” He whispered. 

Yuuri smiled back, replying. “A toast to us.”

Yakov, both teasingly and curiously asked “So, when’s the wedding?” 

That question that made them pause . When was the wedding. They really didn’t think it through this far yet.

Sheepishly, Yuuri replied. “We haven’t really thought that far yet.” He looked towards Viktor with a look that basically said ‘What are we gonna say!?’. 

Before Viktor could voice his thoughts out, he was cut off by Dagmara. “Actually, your marriage was one of the reason’s I called you here.” She paused, the atmosphere shifted. “You still remember our deal, yes?” 

At the mention of said deal, Yuuri felt Viktor stiffen beside him. Viktor started paling. His hands were shaking. Yuuri reached under the table, entwined their fingers in an effort to cease the shaking. How ironic, he thought, normally it’s Viktor calming him down. 

“Yakov, will you accompany Lilia, Yuuri and Yorochka to the lounge?” Annais asked, her tone made for no objections,

Yakov nodded, a hard expression on his face. “Come. Follow me.” He stood up and headed for the door. 

Yuuri looked towards Viktor, worried. He mouthed ‘Will you be okay?’. This matter seemed very private and sensitive.

~O~

“Viten’ka” His dear grandmother started. “We received a couple of letters a few days ago.” She paused. “One is from the Royal Danish Court.” She looked towards his parents. “The other is from the Russian Federation.” Russia? What? “Or as they are renamed, The Tsardom of Imperial Russia*.” 

Viktor felt his heartbeat speed up. The Kingdom of Imperial Russia. ‘The Tsardom.’ Something was up.

“Which means our deal is off.” His father stated. 

Viktor was speechless, his brows furrowing in confusion. “What?” He turned to his mother for an explanation. What did a couple of letters have do with this? 

This deal was one of the only reasons he managed to convince them to allow him to skate. To see the world. To meet Yuuri. 

Dagmara reached for Viktor’s hand caressing it, face set in a neutral expression. “The Imperial court was reinstated a few weeks ago, around the time you were in Barcelona. No wonder you didn’t hear about it yet.” Her voice was soft, she hasn’t heard her speak like this to him in more than a decade. 

She squeezed his hand harder, almost a painful grip. “As you know, with the Imperial court, comes the Imperial crown.” She paused, glancing at her husband. “You also know our unique history.” She nodded, a signal to Larke. 

Larke looked at his son directly in the eye. He said “Furthermore, your grandfather, my father-in-law, was the former Tsar’s grandchild.” 

As Viktor slowly came to realization, he felt his stomach drop. He turned to his grandmother, hoping that she would deny his suspicions. Alas, a bitter mask adorned her face. Annais shook her head and forced a watery smile. 

Viktor slowly shook his head. No. No. No. NO. 

His father looked at him, a look of pity in his eyes. “Which means, you schatje, are the official heir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, hope this did not offend anyone. And if you can please help me with the monarchial history of Russia, that would be greatly appreciated. 
> 
> Shashlik : “Shashlik or shashlyk, is a dish of skewered and grilled cubes of meat.” 
> 
> 1\. The Tsardom of Imperial Russia. The official title was ‘The Tsardom of Russia’ or Tsardom of Muscovy’. This tittle lasted for over 200 years and was founded by Ivan IV in 1547 until it’s “upgrade” into the Russian Empire by Peter The Great in 1721. I chose this title as the modern Russian Federation does not exactly fit the title of ‘empire’.

**Author's Note:**

> Please do comment. If anyone wants to be a co-author, feel free to message me.


End file.
